An Arctic role for the Mazda MX-5

The Mazda MX-5 shows its incredible capabilities on a trek through the frozen wastes as this sports car celebrates its 30th birthday by becoming an Arctic explorer. And you can watch a video of its epic journey here.

THE Mazda MX-5 is a cool sports car. So what better way to celebrate its 30th anniversary than by finding out just how chilled it is by driving one to Nordkapp, the most northerly tip of mainland Europe, in sub-zero conditions?

It might sound like madness when an MX-5 is designed as a drop-top for summer blasts along country roads. However, if a car cope with the extremes of the Arctic, you can be sure it will have no trouble dealing with Scotland’s back roads, or even a congested M8 motorway.

This is how we found ourselves heading out into the cold Swedish morning for our start in Lulea, which is 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle and 560 miles north of Stockholm.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

All of the roads in the town are covered in thick ice and even the sea of this coastal settlement is frozen so thickly you can walk on it.

None of this is a problem for the Japanese car maker's MX-5 Convertible, as it has a set of studded tyres that have hundreds of metal spikes that bite into the ice and give the same sort of grip normal rubber has on a wet Tarmac road.

The biggest hurdle getting used to driving on ice in this winter-equipped MX-5 is learning to trust the studs will grip. Every bit of your brain is telling you to drive at a snail’s pace, but all of the locals are commuting at normal speeds.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

With a bit more familiarity, we’re pointing the Mazda into and out of roundabouts with ease as we head out of the last decent-sized town we’ll see in Sweden on this drive.

After a few miles and some faster roads, we’re getting the hang of driving on a frozen surface. You have to let the MX-5 follow some of the grooves in the road rather than fight the steering, letting the car guide itself where other cars have worn a path.

Any small corrections required are easily dealt with by the MX-5s’ light, direct steering, while a couple of small slides are also scooped up without fretting by the car’s excellent electronic stability systems. As we head further north, these will get more of a workout.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

In the meantime, the miles are ticking by and we’re soon posing for a picture at the line where the Arctic Circle starts. There are no dramas for the following couple of hours’ driving, either, as we head into Finland, though there are now plenty of signs warning about moose on the road.

Up here, wildlife is a “big” problem in every sense of the word. There’s an average of 17 crashes per day because of moose wandering on to the road and an adult can weigh more than half a tonne.

When you’re driving a convertible sports car that tips the scales at the weight of just two moose, it concentrates the mind.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

Still, not to worry, as there are regular service stations along the route where you can stop for a coffee. We filled up with fuel at one of the remote country halts after about 200 miles and the only concern was the minus 20C temperature.

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This means you need to get dressed inside the car before filling up, which requires a few contortions in the confines of the MX-5’s cabin.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

We get a few odd looks from other drivers when they spot the MX-5 in this wilderness, but most people are fascinated that a sporty number like this is being used properly.

Even so, we now have another danger to keep our minds focused on the job – logging trucks. Up here, these huge vehicles are loaded up and don’t budge for anyone in case they get stuck in the soft snow at the edges of the road. That means we have to move over, not them.

The trick to dealing with these behemoths is to spot the cloud of snow they kick up before you get too close.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

This way, you can pick a straight stretch of road to pass and hold a steady line, which is vital when you can’t see anything for two or three seconds as you pass through the snow storm kicked up by the truck’s tyres.

After the first couple of times, you get more used to it, but it’s still a relief to emerge into the clear afterwards.

By now, it’s early afternoon and we’re passing Alta in Norway. This is where the roads switch from being long, open stretches through forest to more winding and mountainous.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

It’s also where the weather decides to take a turn for the worse, so we crank up the MX-5’s heated seats and air conditioning to stay warm. We’ve also kept the roof in place as the wind chill can drop the temperature to minus 50C.

With the snow coming down hard, it can be difficult to pick out where the road is heading without the help of the red poles at the sides of the carriageway. Keeping the speed down is also necessary now as even the studded tyres struggle to penetrate the fresh dusting of powdery snow.

In these conditions, we find out just how good the MX-5’s electronic stability programme (ESP) assistance really is. On a couple of occasions, it seemed as if we were heading towards a snow bank only for the car to pull itself round.

The Mazda MX-5 goes to the Arctic Circle (Image: Mazda)

Like an invisible guiding hand, the ESP makes all the difference between safe progress and getting stuck in some very remote terrain. By the time we pass Honningsvag, where we’re staying for the night, the weather has cleared as we line up behind the snow plough to lead us up to Nordkapp.

Once we’re at the visitor centre, there’s no further north we can drive and the MX-5 has more than proved its worth as an Arctic explorer. In 550 miles of driving on frozen roads, with a boot full of luggage, the Mazda has been sure-footed, comfortable and economical.

It’s also been enormous fun driving it in conditions that are way outside of its usual comfort zone to prove just how great this car is 30 years on from its introduction. How cool is that?!